THERE’S a deeply cruel irony that Alex Young, a man who often left Evertonians grasping for words to describe his stellar talents, is now struggling with his speech.

The Golden Vision is rarely seen at Goodison Park these days, primarily because he lives in Penicuik, Scotland, but increasingly because a stroke five years ago has left him with impaired speaking.

Young, now 73, fought back from the misfortune and has since rediscovered his sight, along with the strength in his arms and legs, but it has made car journeys this far south difficult.

At the same time it has left the Everton hero sadly unsure of himself, as he revealed in a recent magazine interview which included some fascinating insight into the legend’s early career.

“I don’t like that (the speech problems) because I used to speak fluently. Now I sort of stagger along. I want to say something and I can’t get it out. I am searching for words.”

His children still run the post-retirement upholstery business he created, after a stint in management at Glentoran had to be abandoned because of his failing hearing.

How cruel, that yet another physical aspect, of this mercurial player has deserted him.

Fortunately he was able to chat with Paul Forsyth from Backpass magazine, and embark on a swift journey of nostalgia, something Bluenoses of a certain vintage will no doubt relish as a diversion from their current woes.

Young might have been Everton’s Golden Vision, forever immortalised in Ken Loach’s excellent film, but for Scottish club Hearts he was known simply as the Blond Bombshell.

He shot to attention by scoring four in a derby game against Hibs, and was soon getting noticed south of the border, which was inevitable.

“Don Revie, who was manager of Leeds at the time, was at the game, and he had a wee quote about me in the next day’s paper.

“ They asked him who he thought would do well in England. He said me and, I think, John Cumming. I was chuffed about that.”

Hearts went on to win the title, and Young bagged 23 goals, which earned him the £55,000 move to Everton along with George Thomson. A Scottish record at the time.

At Hearts he had only been a professional for two and a half years, working as a part-time miner beforehand.

The son of a Loanhead pit-worker, he worked at the Burghlee colliery, and only trained twice a week at Tynecastle.

He would finish work at 4.30pm, and take a bus into Edinburgh, before jumping on another to Tron Kirk.

“There was always one or two on the Gorgie bus who recognised me. They’d shout, ‘You’re effing useless Young’. Stuff like that persuaded me to go and buy a car.

“My first was an MG which ended up being written off. Not that I was driving fast. I was going to Tynecastle for training, and I saw my uncle at a bus stop.

“I stopped the car, at least I thought I did, but there was oil on the road and I went straight into a lamp-post.

“I got an account from Edinburgh council for breaking their lamp. Cost me about £20.”

Not everyone believed Young would be a hit in England, but 22 goals in his first season silenced the doubters, despite a slow start.

The man who Jimmy Greaves described as “Nuryev on grass” found true hero status on Merseyside. “You were more like a star down there than you were in Edinburgh,” he says. “They liked the way I played.

“I could play the same game with Hearts, but I wouldn’t be liked in the same way. In Liverpool they idolise their players.”

Young is a modest man, but the most poignant tribute to his playing career was captured in Loach’s Golden Vision docu-drama from 1968, which used a real interview with his daughter Jane, then aged five.

“What does you daddy do?” she is asked. “Plays football,” she whispers in reply. “Who for?” “Everton.” “Is he good?” “Yes.” “What’s his name?”. “Alex Young.”